Former resident priest at Burnie’s Marist College jailed for sex crimes against two students in 1960s

A Catholic priest has been sent to jail for indecently assaulting two students while he was a resident priest at a Tasmanian college in the 1960s.

A Catholic priest has been jailed for indecently assaulting two boys while he was a resident priest at Burnie’s Marist College.

A CATHOLIC priest has been sentenced to at least two years’ jail for indecently assaulting two students while he was a resident priest at Burnie’s Marist College in the 1960s.

Thomas Fulcher, 84, pleaded guilty in the Supreme Court in Burnie earlier this month to three counts of indecent assault.

Sentencing Fulcher in the Supreme Court in Hobart on Wednesday, Justice Helen Wood said Fulcher assaulted one student twice in 1964, and assaulted a second student in 1966.

Both were boarders at the college and were aged 13-15 at the time.

Justice Wood said Fulcher’s actions were a “complete betrayal of the child’s trust, the parents’ trust and also that of society”.

“The children were innocent and so were the times. Priests were revered and trusted by society,” she said.

“The complainants were particularly vulnerable because of their age and innocence and they were at boarding school away from their families.”

Justice Wood said the abuse of the first victim was not isolated. She said Fulcher continued to abuse him until some time in 1965, but he was only to be sentenced in relation to that victim for the two 1964 incidents.

The court heard Fulcher was a teacher, sports master, house master and had oversight of boarders at Marist College — now Marist Regional College — at the time.

Justice Wood said Fulcher on at least one occasion had performed the sacrament of reconciliation after abusing his victim. She said it was an aggravating factor because it put the blame on the victim and “cloaked the conduct in confidentiality”..

The court heard the fist victim contacted the Catholic Church in 2002 and a civil settlement was reached.

Both victims contributed to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the Royal Commission referred the matters to Tasmania Police.

Justice Wood said Fulcher was removed from the ministry when the crimes came to light, and he lived a life of retirement and seclusion in NSW.

The Catholic Church continues to list Fulcher as a priest.

Justice Wood said that since the offending, Fulcher had lived a life of volunteering and teaching and was someone who was “willing to do extra in order to help others”.

Justice Wood said Fulcher was “deeply remorseful” and had developed insight into his offending.

She sentenced Fulcher to four years’ jail, with a non-parole period of two years.

Justice Wood said she took into account Fulcher’s age, health concerns, frailty and genuine remorse.

Fulcher is the third former Marist College priest to be jailed for child sex offences dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. Two other staff members have also served time for child sex crimes committed in the 1970s and 1980s at the school.